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December 31, 2013.

This blog is now closed. After three years and 311 posts, I have decided to end this blog. I have enjoyed watching the films, reviewing them, and interacting with global readers.

If you are interested in contacting me, you can do so by commenting on any of the posts. The blog will remain live on the web.
Thank you to all the readers for your comments, ideas, and thoughts. They were helpful, stimulating, and enriching. This is Alene, signing off.

December 8, 2012

Brave (2012)

When it's over, why did it have to be a bear?  I liked the idea of a bear being the antagonist, but thought Queen Elinor's (Emma Thompson) turn as a bear was annoying and boring.  Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is headstrong and determined to live an independent life.  When an arranged marriage is proposed, she defies tradition by making a deal with a witch that brings danger to her kingdom.  The animation was fabulous, but take that away, and the story is just blah.  I've seen enough strong female characters from Disney and would really like to see Disney come back with some strong male leads.  Brave had no stand-out male character, and for a princess story, where's the prince?  There were suitors, who were added to the film for comedic reasons, none of which were funny.  In fact, I don't remember laughing through any scenes.  What Merida needed was a male counterpart that would challenge her, make her a better person, make her become brave.  The love story between Merida and her mother, Queen Elinor, was played out weakly.  Only in the end, does Merida appreciate her mother and mends their broken bond.  The themes of bravery and love were not well defined.  I felt the film forced these two themes into the ending, just to make sure they got into the film.  Again, beautiful visuals, but a giant disappointment.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5



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